Sleep Speaking
by Mari605i
Summary: A little one-shot based on the drawing "Aim" by burdge-bug.. Harry, Ron and Hermione are late up; what will happen when only Hermione and Ron are left and the latter decides he has something to tell her?


**Hey! So here's a little one-shot... Ron/Hermione is new territory for me, but give it a try ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Read & Review**

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><p>The continuing sound of the inked feather scraping over the page was like a soothing lullaby to Hermione's tired brain cells. She yawned for what felt like the thousand time that evening. Ron had already taken the train to sleeping land, and she knew from Harry's expression that it wouldn't be long before he followed suit.<p>

She sighed before concentrating on the task before her – or trying to anyway. They were overloaded with homework (and that even for Hermione's standards!). Right now she was putting the finishing touches on her Defence Against The Dark Arts-paper. Snape had always been one to give loads of things to do, but after he had finally accomplished getting the class he'd been hungering for the last many years, it had only seemed to increase.

_Zap!_ The sound along with the following sharp smell of furniture set on fire, told her that Harry had once again missed his target; for the last hour he had been tinkering with his wand, and then he'd spotted a poor little bug, deciding it simply had to die, although he wasn't really succeeding; three misses so far... not that she had been counting of course.

She could practically feel the yawn he tried to stifle, his back tensing. Almost instantly she caught on, yawning once again.

"You're tired?" Harry asked her, his voice blurry from lack of sleep. His sessions with Dumbledore always seemed to tear him up that way.

"Yeah, a bit," she squeaked, leaning into him. If she could just close her eyes for five seconds...

"I think I'll head to bed."

Hermione sat up in her seat, as he got up and told her goodnight, leaving for the dorms; his bed. How she longed for her own.

The tiredness was almost nauseating to her, and she knew it would be the best to simply go to sleep. But she hated to leave things unfinished; especially homework. With the last bit of concentration left in her, she finished the paper, eyelids always in danger of sliding shut. She put her things on top of the books stabled in front of the couch, removing the one Ron had propped in his lap, too, before leaning back into the soft cushions.

Light snores from beside her, made her turn in her seat, eyes focusing on Ron's peaceful features. They'd been through a lot of crap this year; all the trouble with him and Lavenda (whom he had finally told off), Harry's 'special' sessions with Dumbledore and obsession with Malfoy, Ron getting poisoned and the loss of Sirius as well. She didn't even feel like a teenager anymore. She had always felt a bit older than she actually was, but this was different; it was as if the tiredness had sunken into her very bones, leaving her half a life older and feeling utterly spent.

Her only comfort at the current though was to look at Ron. Looking at him like this always made her heart flutter. She still couldn't understand what she even saw in him, but something it was; underneath all the immatureness and insensitivity, he was after all funny, sweet, loving and simply... Ron.

She smiled, noting how his red hair – so remarkable for his family name – fell into his sleepy blue eyes... who were staring at her.

"R-Ron," she stammered, feeling caught, "You should probably head for bed you know."

"Yeah," he mumbled, and it became evident to her that he was still somewhere in between being fully awake and sleeping, "But I'm quite comfy here, 'Mione."

She knew it was probably just the sleep talking, but the way he said her name – in its short form – sounded almost like an endearment to her, and she felt the familiar feeling of a blush rushing into her cheeks.

"Mmm you look cute when you're blushing," he had closed his eyes again, but still he found her hand and laced their fingers. Okay, so it was _definitely _the sleep speaking; but why did her heart still speed up then?

Not wanting to break the hold he had on her hand, she simply lay back, trying to find a good position to lie in. Before she had even realized it she had nuzzled herself up against his chest, her head just below his chin.

She could feel the heat of him through his shirt, while hearing his steady heartbeat drumming in her ears.

Closing her eyes, sleep fell in over her, like a brick wall which had been endangering to fall all the time anyway. She had almost drifted off, as his voice pulled her back.

"'Mione," he whispered," I need to tell you that I... I... lo,"

Suddenly it was as if any thought of sleep had been erased from her brain. What was he saying? She held her breath, waiting in anticipation...

"I..." his voice changed suddenly, going very high, the kind of way it always did when he was afraid, "_Spiders! _Get them _off _me!"

Once again she smiled to herself, despite the mild disappointment.

"Ron, you're smarter than they are. Go show them what you can," she whispered encouraging.

"Hmm," only mere seconds later, his breathing evened and his snores continued.

"Goodnight, Ron," she whispered to him, though knowing he wouldn't be able to register any of it, before lulling to sleep herself, comforting herself that even though he hadn't said it, she knew she felt it herself.

_She loved him._

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><p><strong>Hi again! So what did you think? Tell me in a review :D The idea came from a picture drawn by burdge-bug from DeviantART... you can find the link on my profile page ;) Check her out; she's <em>seriously <em>talented! Anyway; see ya, lovelies! ;D**

**-Marie**


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